How to corrosion-proof a saltwater beach truck?

[Erik N]

I posted this in another forum as well. Some of those responses are added to my OP.

Just bought a pretty nice '96 Suburban 2500 4x4 w/ a 454, in great shape. It will be used to drive from San Antonio down to Padre Island National Seashore (150 miles), then the 120 mile roundtrip beach drive there through surf, sand, and the occasional wave, to fish for sharks.

It will get wet sprayed with saltwater, everywhere. My gut feeling is that a viscous, non-drying, petroleum-based product is what I should use.

I googled it some and there are some testimonials for lanolin-based non-wax coatings.

There are some electrical connections in the frame rails that are relatively exposed.

What is the best way to corrosion-proof the underhood and undercarriage? I heard that a liberal coating of linseed oil is good. I used a lot of WD-40 on my last rig, with only fair results.

Of course I know to spray it off afterward, and protect the air intake from water, etc.

...http://corrosionx.net/index.html
I see it all over the place around here. Surprised you haven't heard of it.
I've used it on the trailer. Seems to work.

...Krown T-40 based on 23 years of use and 16 year old cars with zero rust in our harsh salt-rich winters.


Xpo guys, what say ye?

Pic of old POS rig. Reliable, but handled like Death Waiting

 

[getlost4x4]

LAND ROVER.:elkgrin: ALUMINUM BODY.

 

[gm13]

Lanolin based Fluid film:http://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Un...TF8&qid=1359234084&sr=8-5&keywords=fluid+film

Easy application with the kit.

 

[Erik N]

I like linseed oil, its a messy job. Takes forever until it quits dripping out from all the internal cavities and such & once it quits dripping another coating is a good idea.

And it's cheap. That could work.

BTW, I once read about saltmines on coastal Australia where daily washed the equipment with seawater because freshwater is too precious to waste washing cars !

Never been to Australia. Sounds like a Texas solution though!

 

[redthies]

I use Fluid Film too. It is great stuff.

I would try posting in the Australia section of the forum too. Those guys are all about running on the beach. I also recall seeing some different types of electronic rust prevention advertised last time I was down there. John (whatcharterboat) lives in the beach zone and works at a 4x4 RV manufacture. He would likely have some ideas.

 

[shmabs]

Fluid film is awesome stuff!

We use the stuff extensively on aircraft that operate in a salt water enviroment, and have great results. However, like has been said above, its really just a matter of time, you can do your best to slow it down, but corrosion never sleeps.

Mike

 

[PGW]

I've been running PINS for over 8 years now and by far the best thing I've found is boiled linseed oil. I thin it down with mineral spirits to make it easier to spray. I've tried fluid film on the undercarriage but was not pleased with the results, seemed like it washed away pretty quickly. However I do coat the entire exterior and door jambs with fluid film and then buff it out like a wax. I also keep the engine bay sprayed down with T-9. I like the T-9 because it will actually dry somewhat and you aren't left with a greasy mess. I know a guy who has an LJ with hundreds of trips to Mansfield and back and it looks great because he has kept up on the linseed oil. No beach truck will last forever but if you treat it right and keep up on the cleaning you can stretch the lifespan out some.

 

[4xdog]

I use Fluid Film too. It is great stuff.

I would try posting in the Australia section of the forum too. Those guys are all about running on the beach. I also recall seeing some different types of electronic rust prevention advertised last time I was down there. John (whatcharterboat) lives in the beach zone and works at a 4x4 RV manufacture. He would likely have some ideas.

X2 on this idea. Electronic rust prevention systems have been offered by a number of companies in Australia for decades. Here's one. From the standpoint of reduction/oxidation electrochemistry these sound appealing. I have no idea if they work in practice, but I'm a little doubtful or they'd be a bigger deal, especially here in the US. Exactly the right question for John at All Terrain Warriors right near the beach in Queensland.

Don

 

[78Bronco]

What about the environmental effects of oiling a chassis?

I would look at POR15 for a durable paint rust check solution. Anyway you can't stop rust.

 

[h2os2]

Maybe Waxoly will work, here is a link to tech tips.

http://www.waxoyl-usa.com/faq-tech-tips

 

[Erik N]

OK I bought a gallon of raw linseed oil and a cheap garden sprayer. Will get to work tomorrow. Also planning to coat the engine compartment with WD-40. I am putting tupperware type stuff over the computer, etc.

I'm not particularly wanting to saltwater-splash the Burban, but the best fishing really is down the beach down at the Mansfield cut, in the corner of PINS 60 mile marker at the jetty cut. There is a usually large eddy there that attracts all kinds of fish.

 

[redthies]

Anyway you can't stop rust.

Wasn't it "Rust never sleeps"? Followed later by "Live Rust"?



Keep on rockin in the free world!

 

[Erik N]

Raw linseed oil is not really the right stuff.
It will work but it takes FOREVER to cure. Its boiled linseed oil thats treated to cure faster.
Firstly boiling changes it chemically to dry faster, and if its intended for painting uses,
its added other minor amounts of chemical to speed its cure time further.

You may end up with a sticky mess that will hold beachsand.

Yep. That's pretty much what I got after my first trip. I hosed off the chassis pretty well afterward, but the sand stayed in places. Gonna coat it again in a few days...

 

[Matto]

Hi Erik,

Little late, but here's my $0.02. I use a product called Lanox - http://www.inox-mx3.com/product_detail.php?productID=3 . It's a lanolin-based oil that comes in either 300Ml aerosol packs, or 5L containers - I buy the 5L. LanoTech is another local brand that seems popular. I'm not sure if there's anything similar over your side of the pond?

The Lanox is a thin, brown-coloured liquid. It's reasonably thin out of the box to spray. I decant into a trigger spray bottle (http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Trigger-Spray-Bottle-750ml.aspx?pid=133943) and use that. Get dressed in your worst clothes, put on some eye protection (it will sting your eyes like buggery, and you can't wash it out), and get under the car. Spray it everywhere - fill up the chassis rails, inside every captive nut or bolt hole, up above bash guards and fuel tanks, work it above the gearbox and transfer case, squirt it into any panel gaps, fill up suspension arms and linkages, and so forth. In the engine bay I start at the top and work down, including inside any framework/reinforcing for the hood, behind the lights, etc. Basically, anywhere you think salt and sand and mud might stick: squirt it there.

I've just done the car and camper in prep for a trip to Fraser Island in a couple of weeks. I used just on 4L to do both. Probably around 3L for the car, and 1L for the camper.

Few points to note:
* You'll smell like a squeezed sheep for a while afterwards, as will the car
* Flies *love* it for some reason, and you'll have hundreds of them hanging around your car for weeks afterwards.
* No matter how prepared you are, you will get some in your eyes. You will curse.
* The first time you drive the car after doing this, you'll have people pointing at the huge clouds of white smoke billowing out from under the vehicle. Don't worry - it's not going to catch fire. It's just all the overspray burning off your brakes, exhaust, etc. It gets better. A few short runs is better than, say, driving all the way to work on a Monday morning *cough*.
* Do it a couple of weeks before you go AT LEAST, and it will dry out. Alternatively, run the car down a dusty road and the dust will stick to the oil instead of the sand/salt.
* When you get back wash the car down, hose out the chassis rails, and park the car over a sprinkler/soaker hose for a couple of hours. Try to avoid using a pressure cleaner - you'll force the sand/salt into tiny gaps. Instead use low pressure/high volume to wash the salt off.
* Make sure the paint (especially underneath) is in good condition. Touch up any stone chips, scrapes, etc with some chassis black before spraying and after you get back. Not sexy, but will pay dividends.

I used a similar approach when we spent some time on Moreton Island in 2009, and there was still a good coating of it from that trip under the car. But some areas (hot areas, wear areas, etc) will wear off faster than others. It's good to do it every so often, especially if you do a lot of creek crossings and such.

When I was a kid, Dad used to use Fish Oil to rust-proof cars (http://www.septone.com.au/detail.asp?item_cat=&item_number=356&page_num=6 - NB: the "Deodorised" in the name is purely comedic). It was terrible stuff - it would stink for weeks and weeks after application. It worked beautifully though - it dries to a nice hard coating and really penetrates into the gaps. After all, have you ever seen a rusty fish? Some people thin it down 50/50 with diesel, but I've got no experience with that.

As for the electronic anti-rust gadgets, I don't put any faith in them. Millions do, however, so maybe it's just me. I subscribe to Dan's views on the subject, at the bottom of this letters page: http://www.dansdata.com/danletters153.htm . tl;dr - they work fine, so long as you submerge the entire car in salty water and leave it there. I'm not planning to do that, so I don't use one.

Aside - we took a holiday to the US back in 2010. We spent some time in NYC and Cincinnati, in the middle of winter (late Jan, early Feb). I could not believe what the cars there had to deal with every single day - piles of mushy, salty snow stuck to rocker panels and guards for weeks at a time, salt everywhere, salt and grit and snow all mixed in. That, to me, was a much, much worse combo than the occasional run down the beach. At least, when you get home from the beach, you can wash your car down. It amaxed me that there were any cars older than 2-3 years that hadn't just fallen to pieces.

Good luck!
Matto

 

[redthies]

Matto... Haven't heard "FNQ" for a while. Cairns? Port Dougie? Just FYI, the "Fluid Film" brand a couple of us recommended is lanolin based. I sprayed it everywhere on my F350 this year to combat road/snow salt. The jury is still out...